Companies set up SARS defences

Australian companies are taking steps to protect staff from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), including mandatory quarantine periods for those returning from affected regions.

Most companies have banned travel to high-risk cities, or require approval for essential trips. Some are allowing expatriate staff to come home temporarily.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Macquarie Bank, Telstra, Lend Lease, Singapore Airlines and HSBC are among those with a quarantine period.

Lawyers are advising companies to develop policies in response to the outbreak.

Dan Feldman, a workplace relations lawyer at Deacons law firm, said employers should follow government advice by postponing all business travel to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and Toronto.

If travel was essential, they should be given information about SARS and told to seek medical help immediately if they develop symptoms.

Employees returning from a high-risk area should also see a doctor. "Employers should not allow their employees ... to return to work until they have medical clearance," Mr Feldman said.

Alternatively, companies could ban employees from returning to work for 10 days after leaving an affected country.

This policy has been introduced by PricewaterhouseCoopers, its chief operating officer, Leigh Minehan, said. The time is paid out of sick leave for those who were travelling before the policy was introduced, or out of annual leave for employees choosing to travel now.

"I would say we would have between 10 and 15 [employees] at the present time on quarantine," Mr Minehan said. The company has also deferred all business travel to affected regions.

Macquarie Bank is issuing its Hong Kong employees with face masks, and has some of that city's traders working from a "quarantine site" in Sydney.

Singapore Airlines has made masks available to Australian staff, and has reduced the number of crew members stopping overnight in Hong Kong to an "absolute minimum".

Some expatriate Lend Lease workers have brought their families back to Australia temporarily.